Obama calls for Blagojevich to resign

President-elect Barack Obama sought Wednesday to further distance himself from the burgeoning scandal in Illinois, joining a near-unanimous chorus of public officials calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign from office.

After a muted response Tuesday, Obama said through his spokesman that Blagojevich was no longer able to carry out his duties – even as the governor returned to work as usual.

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“The President-elect agrees with Lt. Governor Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the Governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

The Illinois General Assembly should take steps to “put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois,” Gibbs said, responding to the question of whether the legislature should call a special election.

The statement elevates Obama’s response to the scandal. On Tuesday, he told reporters that he was “saddened and sobered” by the governor’s arrest but could not comment further about the investigation other than to say he had not been in contact with Blagojevich about filling the Senate seat.

Shortly after Obama called for a resignation, Illinois’s sole U.S. senator Dick Durbin added his voice in a five-paragraph letter to the governor. No matter if Blagojevich is guilty or innocent, the charges render him useless as governor of the state, Durbin said. And he cannot choose a replacement for Obama’s vacant Senate seat because that appointee would be under a cloud of suspicion, he added.

“I urge you to search your heart and summon the strength to put your state and your nation above any personal considerations,” said Durbin, a Democrat.

Blagojevich returned to work Wednesday morning with TV news helicopters tracking his movements. He waved to cameras as he left his Chicago home, and arrived at his office a short time later in attempt to show that he maintains a grip on his power.